Broken [Paperback]

 

 

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BROKEN by Kelley Armstrong-a review

BROKEN is the 6th novel in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. BROKEN continues the story of Elena, Clay and the other werewolves, but this time Elena is pregnant. As the only known female werewolf, Elena isn't sure what to expect'literally. But when someone from her past calls in a favor, Elena knows this could be her final chance for adventure, before giving birth.

Ever since Elena Michaels discovered she was pregnant, she has been unable to concentrate. As the months pass and the pregnancy advances, shape-shifting, her ability to fight and running with the other Pack members has become increasingly difficult and worrisome. Without the benefit of prior knowledge or experience, Elena, Clay and Jeremy are cautious and reticent'if news were to spread about her pregnancy, she would become a bigger target than just Clay's mate. When Xavier Reese, a former 'inmate ' from Ty Winsloe's compound of supernatural beings, calls in a favor, Elena jumps at the chance for the distraction. Xavier has been commissioned to find and retrieve the 'From Hell' letter, supposedly one of the last known pieces of evidence and DNA from Jack the Ripper, but he requires Elena's expertise'basically, the werewolves are the only beings who could pass through the sorcerer's 'spell' protecting the document. One problem-the 'From Hell' letter is currently owned by Patrick Shanahan, a sorcerer living in Toronto, and there are many 'beings' looking for the 'letter'.

Once the letter is in their possession, a series of catastrophic events take place in the Canadian city. Witnesses report missing people, zombie-like beings, an outbreak of cholera and typhoid as well as a string of unexplained murders. It is not until the trio learns that part of the curse of the 'From Hell' letter, that whom ever is in possession, must make a 'blood sacrifice' to trigger the release of 'Jack', do they realize they may be responsible for the strange events happening in the city. And the only blood sacrifice that was made'Elena killed a mosquito containing her own blood. Meanwhile, a confused and lost soul exits the portal into the 21st century

With the blood sacrifice, a portal is opened into the otherworld, where zombies exit and people fall victim to its' curse. But while tracking and fighting the zombies, Clay's arm is puncture by one of the 'undead' and without thought of the consequences, he ignores his wounds. Without giving away too much of the plot, zombie scratches can be fatal, and a very sick and ailing Clay has only a couple of options'amputate the arm or die from infection.

When a very pregnant Elena is abducted, they come to realize, that Elena is now the target and no longer the 'letter'. Clay and Elena's children will be the ultimate sacrifice in a game of evil, between the mystery man from the portal and zombies wreaking havoc throughout Toronto.

Once again, Kelley introduces a few new supernatural beings such as Zoe Takana , a female vampire with eyes for Elena, and brings back the characters we love. Nick and Antonio Sorrentino are called to Canada to assist with the hunt for 'Jack the Ripper', and Jaime Vegas, a beautiful clairvoyant and necromancer (and a burr up Clay's backside), aids the werewolves with the eradication and the return of the 'undead' back to their own time.

Broken is one of my favorite Women of the Otherworld storylines. Clay's spiral into a fevered delirium is not without its' scary moments and we watch Elena and Clay become a family with the birth of their child(ren) as we are drawn deeper into the lives of everyone involved. The birthing scene is heart warming and humorous, and you can almost hear the panic in their voices. Paige as their 'long-distance' birthing coach is something that can only be imagined by a writer like Kelley.

Ok, first things first. Kelley Armstrong is Canadian. I am also Canadian. This book? Predominantly set in Canada (Toronto, to be specific). I always get excited when that happens. I don't know Toronto particularly well, but I've been there a few times, and being part of the same country, I'm up on Canadian current events, which come up a few times in the book. It just makes the world more real to me, in a way that a story set in New York just can't accomplish, because I know nothing about New York beyond what I've seen on tv. What really made it ring true, though, is that Armstrong knows what she's talking about and understands the nuances of her setting, and she puts it all into the story. The result is a rich, satisfying world and me sitting here half wishing, half believing vampires and werewolves really did prowl around Toronto like that.

Broken has a pretty good mix of new and recurring characters, and as interwoven as the supernatural world is in these books, I suspect we'll see more of both in future volumes. Jaime Vargas, the celebrity necromancer, is fleshed out a little more in this story. I really enjoyed the chance to see something beyond the flaky exterior she puts up, since she's always seemed like a really interesting character. Zoe the vampire was a great new addition, playful and gutsy, and I'm very much hoping we'll see more of her.

I found Broken a good read, but not Armstrong's best. The other books in the series felt like they had a destination; this one felt more like a detour. It was fast paced, there was plenty of adventure and some great action scenes, but I kind of felt like the book ended in a similar place to where it started. I think it might have something to do with Elena; as the protagonist, she didn't really seem to grow or change at all, aside from the pregnancy aspect. She's clearly come a long way from when she first appeared in Bitten, but that progression has already happened before she even discovers her pregnancy. If this were another book, from another series, I might have rated it higher, but the Women of the Otherworld series has set a pretty high standard for itself, and this isn't the one I'd take off my shelf to read again and again.

This isn't the first novel where Elena is the main character, and I love how Armstrong puts you inside her head. Elena is a strong woman/werewolf with a head on her shoulders and guts to do what needs to be done. In this novel, not only does she have 'bad guys' to worry about, but she's pregnant as well, and that has her worried with nightmares to match. You feel what Elena feels right down to your core and you root for her constantly.

Clay is his usual self, completely devoted to Elena, and still has his own worries and insecurities.

The plot is excellent, lots of action to keep you on your toes. Not as many love scenes, but there's a reason for that. Won't say what it is, don't want to spoil it for a potential reader. A plot twist that I really hadn't figured out until it was almost too late, and I love when an author does that to me, LOL! I think the ending is absolutely perfect - I couldn't ask for better. These novels are different than the usual vampire/werewolf/sorcerer/witch/demon novels I've read and not only do I give it a huge two-thumbs-up, but a definite recommendation!

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5.0 out of 5 stars FABULOUS!
The whole series is fabulous!!! I would recommend it in a heart beat! Thanks Kelley for an awesome series!

Published on Mar 22 2010 by N. Chard

5.0 out of 5 stars Back To The Pack
You might accuse werewolf Elena Michaels of being many things, but sedentary would never be one of them. Pregnancy hasn't dulled her sense of adventure. Read more

Published on May 7 2006 by Nadia Khalil

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